Dominion Hotel owner Shawn Chamberlin said this is the first time in years he’s felt the Christmas spirit truly take hold in Minden village.
The Newcastle Street restaurateur paid homage to township staff and community volunteers, led by Anne Campbell, who helped decorate the downtown over the holidays, creating a fun and festive atmosphere for shoppers, business owners and staff.
“The downtown is beautiful – folks are saying nice things about Minden and that is helping to boost all our pride. I have no doubt in my mind that decorating [encouraged] visitors to come to Minden,” Chamberlin told The Highlander.
A former vendor, having previously owned Unique Floral Designs on Bobcaygeon Road, Campbell decided she wanted to work with township staff to expand on the usual winter décor that goes up this time of year. She collaborated with town hall, the Minden and District Horticultural Society, and other volunteers, deciding on creating a clan of Christmas gnomes for the strip.
Campbell hosted a workshop at the Minden Community Centre in early November, with more than a dozen people attending. There, they made gnomes out of discarded evergreen branches Campbell found in the area and decorated them.
The gnomes were transported to the village green ahead of the community’s tree lighting ceremony Nov. 15 and were in place for that weekend’s Santa Claus parade.
“The end result was a very charming and inviting shopping area for Minden that was all ready for Santa’s arrival,” said Mary McCrae, one of the participants. “Citizens, especially the children, have been thrilled and very excited with the Christmas gnomes.”
Fellow volunteers Bernie and Jim Davis agreed – noting how the gnomes, or rather what they represent, have reinvigorated a sense of community in Minden.
“We see a reawakening of this spirit, being proud about Minden, the place we all choose to live – and it seems to be revived by this vision, passion, and actions of Anne Campbell,” said Bernie. “We can feel the spirit of engagement coming out of hiding.”
Campbell said she is simply continuing the work of the late Sinclair Russell, who, for years, championed community spirit in the downtown. She felt organizing the workshop and coordinating the placement of decorations was no big deal – something she was happy to do to spruce up shop fronts and encourage more people to visit.
Anne Walker from Rising Thymes said the effort has made a huge difference.
“Everybody’s spirits are up – just even with all the girls who were helping… the energy this has created has been infectious,” Walker said. “After COVID, anything that can be done to draw a smile, to get things back to the way they were, is important. And the gnomes are quite attractive looking little things.”
Mary Douglas, who helped with the effort, said it’s been a quiet year at her Let’s Shop Local location, commenting that anything that brings more people to the downtown is a positive.
“There’s a lot of unique stories here… it’s been a tough few years, but things are getting better. This effort has helped, and it was nice to see so many other business owners getting involved,” Douglas said.
Minden Hills coun. Shirley Johannessen said this effort is a great reminder of what can be achieved when the community comes together. She believes the gnomes have added character to the downtown.
“I loved the idea of volunteers getting together to put some fun into our town. Not only was the finished product fabulous, but the coming together of different ideas and skills really showed me how versatile and creative we can all be together,” Johannessen said.
